Cardio then Lifting or Lifting then Cardio?

ScottishMrs

I just asked my SIL if she'd be my gym buddy this summer since I'm afraid of starting at a gym by myself. I suggested warming up for 15 min on the ellipticle then doing lifting, but she said that we should do lifting first then cardio. She also suggested going for a run along the canal for our cardio, probably around 20 min to start off. Which would be better? Would I be able to manage that run after heavy lifting or would my legs crap out?

lulukittie

I personally prefer to split them up, either on different days, or at different times of the day. But if you must, I would do a light warm-up first (walking, elliptical, dynamic stretches, that kind of thing) and then lift. If you are planning a more intense cardio session, I'd do weight another time.

9chimera11

Its always better to do about 15 minutes light cardio to warm up before you do weight lifting to get the blood pumping. I usually keep the 45 minutes cardio 'after' the weight lifting session because if I do it before lifting, I find my strength is drained and am doing a poor job at lifting.
Try to alternate days where you do cardio and weight lifting.
Also, the days you train legs, go easy on cardio

DavPul

I doubt if your legs would crap out but it's generally accepted that you should do cardio after lifting. If you're doing a 10 min light warmup on the treadmill, elliptical or by the canal, it probably won't hurt you. What you want to avoid is strenuous activity that burns thru your glycogen or leaves you too tired to lift with correct form.

cschiff

i'm happy to do upper body and core strength before cardio, but since my main form of cardio is running i find that if i work hard on lower body, like squats and lunges etc first then i don't have as good of a run. i also dont heavy lift every day, where i usually go for a run 6 times a week

i do agree though with what other people have said that a little cardio before lifting is good to get the blood pumping.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

I doubt if your legs would crap out but it's generally accepted that you should do cardio after lifting. If you're doing a 10 min light warmup on the treadmill, elliptical or by the canal, it probably won't hurt you. What you want to avoid is strenuous activity that burns thru your glycogen or leaves you too tired to lift with correct form.

^^^